Cheating Time (Longevity, #1)

by T. R. Graves

Chapter 32

  Brought to Heel

  Carlie

  Barone's flat-grey eyes leveled on me and his mouth dropped. He saw my request as the test it was. At the same time, he saw it as defiance, and he didn't like it one bit based on his grinding teeth and thinned lips.

  "You're kidding me, right? If you think I'm going to offer protection to these beasts, you've lost your ever-living mind. You'll come with me and stop acting as if you have a say in your future… or theirs. If you defy me on this, I'll rip our contract to shreds, hold St. Romaine hostage, and make you do whatever I want you to," Barone said incredulously.

  Fighting back the fear that demanded I beg for Jayden's life, I remained calm and nodded. "You could do that. The difference is if you force me to do anything against my will, I'll challenge you every chance I get and spend all my time looking for ways to escape and make my way to Jayden. No one will ever mistake me for the happy bride, and you'll look like the deviant you are," I promised, and my words were as cold and flat as my affect.

  Barone tilted his head to the side. For the first time ever, he saw me as someone to be respected, not one to be underestimated.

  As if spurred to action by a malevolent thought, he turned his attention to each one of the panthers, studying each individually before saying, "You only have three more immunity spots."

  Dammit! I thought he'd ignore that fact.

  "For my future wife, I'm more than happy to add all four animals to your list." Just when I thought Barone might not be as bad as I'd made him out to be, he finished with his conditions. "In exchange for me not killing one of these four cats tonight, I want to change the conditions of your list," Barone sang happily. Spitefully.

  At some point during my conversation with him, Jayden had slowly inched his way near me and stood ready behind Jabdalja. As if they'd been born and raised together and their thoughts were similar, Sean mirrored Jayden's stance behind Bagheera. I couldn't see Thorne, but I felt him behind me.

  I approved of the way he'd led Simon and Rorie to the back of our small army and the fact that he'd planned to use the panthers as a first line of protection, Surrogate Soldiers as a second layer, and anything he could possibly offer as a third layer in his efforts to protect his sister and Sean's brother.

  I braced myself for Barone's next words.

  "Basically, I'm saying your immunity list is now full and can never again be changed. As deaths occur, names will be marked off. No new name will ever be added. Do you understand the new rules of the list, Carlie?"

  My eyes flickered to Jayden for his opinion. He offered me an infinitesimal nod. I glanced over my shoulder toward Thorne. His nod was just as imperceptible as Jayden's.

  I took a deep breath and blew out hard. "Okay," I agreed, knowing I would one day regret that concession.

  As soon as the words left my mouth, I heard a quiet meow. Everyone in the tent heard it. Sean cursed under his breath and pulled Simon closer behind him. A barbaric smirk flashed across Barone's face. Then he laughed. It was the deep belly kind that would normally follow a funny, unexpected practical joke.

  Fate and bad luck were the jokesters in this case.

  "What have we here, Sean?" Barone finally asked, weaving his way toward Simon.

  "My brother, sir. He's a genetic mutant. He doesn't know what he's doing," he said briskly. Protectively.

  "Hmm… I believe he knows exactly what he's doing. He's hiding at least one, maybe two cubs in his shirt. Have him pull them out and let us see them."

  Barone's request was benign on the surface, but there was no doubt in my mind that I was about to find out there were serious ramifications for standing up to Barone even when the infraction was small… and nothing I'd done tonight would be considered small.

  When it was clear to all of us that Barone wasn't backing down until he'd laid eyes on the cubs, Sean looked over his shoulder toward Simon and nodded. From the inside of each side of his summer jacket, Simon extricated two cubs that were so small they had to have just been born.

  When he held them out toward Barone and I saw their eyes were still closed, their ears were still flat against their head, and their cries at being moved were muffled by embryotic fluid, I knew without a shadow of doubt that they'd just been born that night. Possibly minutes before Jayden forced them all to the infirmary.

  When the soldier, Vixen, turned her attention away from her enemies and toward the crying cubs, I understood she was the cubs' mother and admired the way she flanked me and her group despite the ordeal she'd so obviously endured that day.

  With utmost respectful, Simon bowed his head and spoke to Barone. "Sir, can I put them back in my coat? If they're not kept warm, they'll die."

  Barone's lip curled in disgust. He did nothing to mask his contempt for genetic mutants.

  "These two cubs are illegal exotic animals that are not under my protection," Barone explained, focusing his attention on Thorne and Sean, since they were instinctive protectors of their siblings, ones who would do anything to avoid a gory battle in these close quarters. "Serkis, I want you to prove to me that you have control of your animals. If they are as dangerous as the experts tell me, I'll have no choice but to put them down. Immune or not."

  My eyes narrowed and I stepped in front of the massive beasts, coming face to face with Barone. Isaiah stepped forward and acted as if a sixteen-year-old girl was the biggest threat to the president's security.

  Right now, he might be right.

  "Let the cubs stay with their mother. She'll grieve them if you don't, and leaving her in that condition would go against our agreement," I insisted.

  Barone shook his head. "No can do. You can't keep adding to your list. We just had that conversation. They'll be in my custody. When you please me…" Barone raised his eyebrows in challenge. "I'll conditionally gift them back to you. When you displease me, I'll take them back."

  "Treating me like a wayward child will not endear you to me, John," I said. The calm facade I'd been showing was crumbling hard and fast.

  I couldn't help it. My heart broke when I thought of those newborn cubs in the care of people who eagerly and willingly associated with Barone. Isaiah.

  Barone turned toward Isaiah and said, "Take these cubs to the very nice girl, Kali, we met today. She seemed like a natural born nurturer. I'm sure these newborns will get the care they need while with her.

  Barone was taunting me. Jayden had taunted me my entire life. It was the attack I was most prepared to defend. Rather than be baited, I stood by silent.

  Barone glared toward Sean. "Serkis, don't forget what I said about these animals. When he takes the cubs away, these cats better not flinch or move. If they do, they'll be stuffed and mounted in my den."

  Without skipping a beat, Sean shouted the same words Simon had said to the animals when we'd first met them. "Sasha, heel!" Clap. "Vixen, heel!" Clap. "Jadbalja, heel!" With a final clap, he said, " Bagheera, you heel, too!"

  After he'd solidified his commands to his pets, he turned to Simon and said, "Hand me the cubs, Simon."

  Dubious, Simon stared toward his brother. "Sean, they have to stay with me. Remember what you said? I'm the one in charge of keeping them alive," Simon said desperately.

  "Simon, do what I say. Give them to me," Sean turned toward his brother and took them from him without giving him another chance at debating his decision.

  Sean's teeth were grinding and his muscles rolling when he turned the hours-old cubs over to the smirking Isaiah, a Surrogate who loved everything about being part of Barone's inner circle. Intuitive, he knew he was able to give in to his inner beast and be cruel more often with Barone than he'd have been able to without the president and his dictator leadership style.

  Proving he was every bit a tyrant as I assumed, Barone stepped in front of me and put his elbow out. The smirk on this face reminded me that he was very pleased with himself for bringing to heel four large beasts, two Surrogates, two anomalies, a physician, and his future wife.

&
nbsp; "Carlie needs her rest. If she can run in the woods all day with the Surrogate and work on patients this evening with Angleton, I'm confident she no longer needs to be monitored in the infirmary. She'll be sleeping in my tent should anyone need her." Barone eyed Jayden and Thorne significantly. "And I don't expect anyone to need her unless there is a life-threatening emergency."

  Based on the shuffling of feet and the methodical murmurs outside of the infirmary, there was an entire army awaiting Barone's orders. None of us had options, and my belligerence would only put my new charges in jeopardy. Their safety was dependent on my reaction to Barone.

  My shoulders slumped, and I wrapped my fingers around the president's elbow and let him lead me out of the tent. There, I found exactly what I thought I'd find, a complete military force standing armed and ready for trouble.

  "Isaiah, I've changed my mind. Bring the cubs to my tent. I'll allow Carlie to temporarily care for them. Then I want you to go back to the infirmary and make sure no one leaves for the rest of the night. No matter what happens," Barone said with an ominous insinuation embedded within his orders.

  Holy hell! What does that mean?

  Without another word between us, we went to Barone's tent. As soon as I ducked beneath the flap and entered the president's quarters, I was once again hit with the opulence he'd come to expect. There was a giant copper bowl that had been set up in the middle of the tent. It had a glowing campfire dancing its way from its center. In front of it were two wingback chairs, and between the chairs was an elegant round table that held a tea service that included a masculine teapot, two black-and-white cups and yellow saucers, and a matching sugar bowl and creamer.

  "I thought I'd let you get the cubs settled on a blanket near the fire. Then you and I can have a cup of tea and talk before retiring. What do you think about that, Carlie?" Barone asked, as if I had options.

  "Thank you, John. I appreciate your kindness." I lied.

  Before he took back his offer, I grabbed a blanket from the second bed, one I'd assumed to be mine, that had been set up at the opposite end of the tent. I spread it out on the floor near the fire and tucked the babies who were so new to the world they couldn't even hold up their heads.

  Knowing they needed Vixen and that her presence was not possible, I tucked them into my chest and held them close until they stopped crying. Little by little, I lowered them down to the blanket and spooned them with each other so they'd feel as safe and sound as they'd been when they were inside their mother's womb. The only reason I put them down at all was because I was worried Barone would tire of my attention being focused on the cubs rather than him.

  When they were content, asleep, hugged together, and breathing rhythmically, I stood and noticed Barone was studying me with an intensity that made me uncomfortable. I tucked my chin into my chest and hooked my hair behind my ears.

  "That tea smells wonderful," I said.

  Barone nodded to the saucer sitting next to the chair where he expected me to sit. I complied.

  "Carlie… I'm not sure you understand how important it is for you to support me. People will be quick to claim we are at odds if you continue challenging me. Does what I'm saying make sense to you?"

  I stared down into the bottom of the cup and swirled the tea remnants around. I took a sip of the black brew and wanted to make a face it was so bitter. Instead, I picked up the tongs and dropped three sugar cubes into the cup before diluting it with the cream. After taking lots of time stirring the tea, I took another sip. This one was much sweeter, creamier. It was tolerable, and I smiled at a job well done.

  If only I could make the situation with Barone less bitter and more tolerable.

  "John, I'm not even seventeen. Teenagers are rebellious by nature. I'm trying to do what you want. I'm trying to make sure the people I love are safe. That job in and of itself is bigger than anything most teenagers have to deal with. When you make keeping my family safe exponentially more difficult by blackmailing me into marrying you, I lose perspective. I'm trying to do what you want me to do when you want me to do it… It's just that something snaps in me when I see something that seems morally wrong," I said truthfully.

  I gulped down another drink of the tea and continued swirling the liquid around the cup.

  "Thank you for your honesty, Carlie. I think this is a big step for us. I think you're going to see that the better I know you, the easier it will be for the two of us to bond… for me to know what you're thinking and how to react to it."

  I nodded in agreement.

  "As for me… I can't stress to you how important it is that you support my every decision regardless of your opinion. What can we do to make that happen?" Barone asked.

  "John, I just told you I can't help it. I'm hardwired to speak up when I see something I disagree with," I said and realized there might be a better way to describe it. "I guess you could say it's in my genes."

  Barone very calmly drank his tea and let what I'd said sink in. He was deep in thought as his stare fixed on the sleeping cubs. The instant the pure white one rolled to her side and the black paw of her sibling slid off of her leg, Barone tilted his head to the side and smiled.

  "Carlie, you've given me something to think about and offered me a challenge, one that makes me want to prove to you there are things I can do that will make you think before you disagree or defy me ever again." Barone smiled sweetly.

  Holy hell! What is this asshole about to do?

  "John, you don't have to do anything. I'm going to work on it. I'm going to work hard on it," I swore.

  "That's just it, Carlie. It seems to me you don't respect and fear me the way you should. If you did, your instincts to defy me would be squelched."

  "I do respect you, John. My parents insisted I respect you, your position, and the difficult decisions you have to make," I said.

  There was no hiding my anxiety. I heard the threat in Barone's words and saw on his face the determination to tame me.

  Quicker than I could get to my feet, Barone popped up, dashed over to where the cubs were sleeping, and snapped them up and off their pallet. Without the first ounce of gentleness and away from the warmth of his body, he held the siblings in the palms of his hands. He wasn't holding them out to me. He was simply making sure I knew he had control of the situation. He was making sure I saw everything he did.

  "If it were to save the life of these cubs, would you swear to me that you would obey me unconditionally and support my every decision?" Barone asked.

  "I-I swore I was going to try. I will," I answered with tears welling in my eyes as I comprehended how much danger the newborns were in.

  "That's just it, Carlie. I will try isn't the same as I'll obey you unconditionally and support your every decision. Say it," Barone ordered.

  Without any delay at all, I followed the president's demands and repeated his words. "I'll obey you unconditionally and support your every decision."

  "I think you can do better than that. You've not been properly motivated," Barone said, and at the same time he tucked the black panther in the crook of his arm and took the pure white panther in both hands.

  The next thing I knew, he'd grasped the base of the cub's skull in one hand and its body in the other. Before I could take the first step his way, he pulled hard and fast while twisting his hands in opposite directions. After the animal's spine had been dislocated, Barone dropped the twitching newborn to the floor and held the still alive black cub out to me.

  "NOOO!" I screamed, falling to my knees, cradling the now limp and lifeless baby in my hands and snuggling it to my chest.

  Above me, I heard what could only be described as a sociopath's calm words. "Do I need to give you another demonstration of what will happen every single time you defy me?"

  "No… No… I'll be good. I'll do what you want me to do. Just don't kill that one," I cried from the ground.

  Barone chuckled. "I thought you might see things my way if you were given the right incentive."

  "
You were right. You were. Please let me have the cub. I'll be good," I promised, tears streaming from my eyes and snot dripping from my nose.

  Barone was more than pleased when he looked down at me and handed me the only living cub, mewing like he knew his sister had just been murdered.

  I hugged the distressed cat to my chest and whispered, "You're okay." Oh my God! "I got you." Oh my God! "Shh!" Oh my God!

  While I was holding the baby panther, I checked to make sure Barone hadn't secretly injured him also. While I did that, Barone picked up the white baby panther's body and threw it into the fire. Then he glanced back at me to see if I was going to say anything or do anything. I didn't. I knew better. Swiping the snot from my nose with my shoulder, I refocused my attention on the clearly distressed black cub.

  "That's better, Carlie. That was much better. Now it's time for you to get to bed. Take that one with you. It can sleep with you tonight if you want."

  I didn't wait for him to say anything else. I picked up the baby, keeping him out of Barone's line of vision. I crawled into the bed, turned my back to the president, and tucked the tiny cat near my stomach before protectively wrapping myself around him.

  Behind me and over the cub's meows—geared toward finding his sister—I heard, "Good night, my beloved Carlie."

  Afraid of what staying silent would mean, I curved even tighter in on myself and mumbled, "Night."

  The stench of the cub's burning hair, blood, and muscle quite nearly made me sick. I covered my head and whispered words of comfort to the cub I secretly named Indigo, so that my consolation felt more personal.

  Preventing me from going to sleep as ordered was Indigo's distress coupled with my inability to feel safe and comfortable near a man who could kill a living, breathing creature so casually. I lay in my bed for hours after Indigo drifted off, while Barone wandered around the tent, made presidential calls, and answered electronic messages.

  Relieved was the only way to explain how I felt when Barone finally turned off the computers and lamps, and on the other side of the tent, I heard his shoes hit the floor and the squeak of the bedsprings when he finally went to bed.

  It wasn't until I heard his rhythmic breathing that told me he was sound asleep that a restless sleep found me.

  "Carles," Jayden's urgent and whispered words found their way to my conscience despite the sleep demanding I ignore them.